Vasa: The Warship That Sank Immediately

shipwreck · Swedish history · museum

Built to impress. The Vasa was a fancy Swedish warship constructed between 1626 and 1628, loaded with bronze cannons and designed to be one of the most powerful ships of its time.

Sank super fast. On her very first voyage on August 10, 1628, the Vasa sailed only about 1,300 meters into Stockholm harbor before sinking to the bottom of the sea.

Sleeping on the seabed. The ship sat at the bottom of Stockholm harbor for 333 years, largely untouched and protected by the cold, salty water that kept it from rotting away.

Found again. In the late 1950s, explorers rediscovered the Vasa in Stockholm harbor, and in 1961 they carefully raised the ship's hull from the seafloor in amazing condition.

Super popular now. The Vasa Museum in Stockholm has become one of the world's most visited shipwrecks, with over 45 million people coming to see the ship since 1961.